Business Solutions by b$olutions

Last week, I discussed how to get referrals by giving referrals.  This week, I’m going to take it a step beyond this and suggest to you that you can’t give good referrals unless you truly understand your networking partners’ businesses.  To understand their business, you need to schedule one-on-one meetings.  Pick a convenient place where you won’t be interrupted during the conversation and where you can concentrate.  The purpose of the one-on-one meetings is two-fold:  First, you want to develop a personal relationship with the individual.  Referrals come after trust.  Trust is build on rapport.  By getting to know the person versus the business, you build that rapport.  Second, you learn about the business.  An aid for building rapport is the GAINS Profile (Goals, Accomplishments, Interests, Networks, and Skills).  For the business side, use the Launching Pad Questions (My three best customers are, Examples of referrals that work well for me are, My best contact sphere professionals are, New doors I’d like to open are).  Bring blank copies of these so you can ask these questions and record the information.  Bring these forms filled out for you and your business too so you can hand them out if you allotted time in your one-on-one meeting for both of you (however, I don’t recommend this because it dilutes the information exchange – set up another meeting to talk about you and your business!) 

In addition, put some thought into other questions you want to ask and write them down.  Think about questions like:  How do customers benefit from your products and services?  What makes your company better than the competition?  Describe an idea customer.  What problems do you solve for these customers? 

Your final preparation step is to look through your business card file.  Based on what you know about the products and services ahead of time, look for potential referrals to take with you to the meeting.  Call those contacts before the meeting and ask if they would mind if you gave your network friend their name and phone number.  And take your cards to the meeting as well, because as you learn more about that person’s business, you may think of more people to refer. 

The key to a good one-on-one meeting is preparation.  Being prepared helps you to get all the information you need to begin giving good referrals.  And giving referrals is the first step to getting referrals.

As we all know (who are BNI members), BNI is a business and professional networking organization whose primary purpose is to exchange business referrals.  The promise of BNI is “better net income” and “you will never have to cold call again.  But, for new members and for some veterans, we may feel some frustration, disappointment, or disillusionment because “we aren’t getting any referrals!”  There are four things to consider and over the next four weeks, I’m going to cover them.  They are: 

1)  Giving referrals

2)  Understanding our fellow members’ businesses

3)  Working our circles of influence

4)  What makes good marketing moment

For this week, we’ll discuss giving referrals.  You may ask how this relates to getting referrals.  Actually it’s simple.  How many of you have heard the old saying, “You have to be a friend to have a friend.”  The same holds true for referrals.  To get referrals, you have to give them.  Giving a referral to someone, and in particular, in public, you make the person to whom you give a referral “beholden” to you;  They want to “return” the favor.  Also, those of us witnessing your referral see you as “part of the team” – one of our own.  Because you belong, we want to help you. 

But, how do you give a referral?  First, you have to trust your BNI partners.  When you are in the BNI meeting, look around the room.  Think about your best customer and imagine you are recommending to them the services and products of your BNI team.  Who would cause you to hesitate?  Why?  Formulate a plan to eliminate that hesitation.  Do a one-on-one and share with each your hesitations and what you believe would help you to feel more comfortable.  Remember:  A relationship is based on genuine caring.  Showing your concerns and your willingness to work to eliminate them is a great way to strengthen that relationship. 

You prepare for your customer meetings, right?  In your planning, include some thought about what products and services this client can use from your BNI partners.  How can your BNI team help to build your client’s business?

OK, so you help your BNI partners.  And because you do that, you will gain referrals from them in return.  How else will giving referrals help you?  If you are recommending products and services that help your clients, your clients will value and trust you even more.  You become the “connected” person who can find just the right resource to help them no matter what the issue.

Giving referrals benefits just keep piling up for you!  Actively look for opportunities for giving referrals.